In Time
by Blackened Cure
Summary: When 13-year old Itachi Uchiha is ripped from his timeline, he finds that he's lost in the world of the future. Joining forces with the great phoenix Arediau and her love-lost host Sakura, they work together to change the outcome of his life: His death.
1. BackStep

Prologue

* * *

_Time is a thin boundary value that we put on life, for life and love can span longer then time itself - Kitaro _

* * *

_She made the choice she should have decided on long ago; to stop this futile and one-sided civil war between the two men. He had once made her swear that she would never try to save him, just let his brother revel in his victory. She knew long before the truth she should have spoken words for saving, as she had grown to love the man she was raised to despise. _

_That's when she knew she had made the wrong choice, when she saw his lifeless form on her table. _

_She began to fall apart at the seams; ripping at her skin till all that was left of her face was nothing but bloody lesions, with masses of long, magenta hair on the floor around her feet as she stripped herself of the annoying tresses, the very thing she knew he loved, the walls around her crumbling with every blow from her balled-up hands. _

_Every time she had a bout of sanity, she would just fall away again, just like the time before, when he was there to catch her._

_She had already shattered every mirror and window in her house with her fists, for all that she could see was him staring at her, asking what has she done to herself, almost as if he was reaching through this mirror to touch her self-inflicted wounds, only to tell her how foolish she's been, that he had be there all along._

_But she knew he wasn't coming back._

_And thus began her absence from the world, even when Nagato kindly offered her to join them within the borders of Sound, she would just as kindly refuse._

_Or when all her friends tried sincerest condolences, with Tsunade giving her stash of sake to her almost-adopted daughter._

_They all knew she had come undone, but she didn't care. He was gone, and that was all that mattered._

_And she hated him for what he made her promise._

_But then she had heard the legend of the Great One, the queen of all tailed beasts, the mighty ten-tailed Arediau, who was said to be able to turn back time with her beautiful voice, among other things. So she decided to partake upon a quest to find the source of the legend, if only to keep her reasonably sane for another month. _

_She did not expect the legend to become truth._

_So she searched for the Great One, following every lead till she reached an ancient temple buried within the Land Of Snow, uncovering it with what she had left of her unnatural strength, baring entrance gate to all, walls adorn with the mark of the phoenix, a sign of Arediau's worshipers and ones said to be "Champions of The Great One"._

_When she went inside, a large statue is all she could see, so she placed his ring at the supposed altar and chanted her wishes to the loudest note. _

"_**Ye have called for thy contract; ye speaketh yet still your desires when I know all!"** spoke a strong voice from all around her._

"_Yes, I have come with my sacrifice; I am willing to pay such dues for so be it my life or my soul, I ask you to bring Itachi Uchiha back from his grave and return to it nevermore!" cried the woman, her hood slipping slightly._

"_**Hmm... what ye offers is of greatest values in my realm, but I truly only express desire for one item that seems out of my reaches..." **hummed the voice._

"_Name your price, and I will pay it", said the woman, toning herself down to a whisper. Back in her mind, she remembered what he would say about her screaming._

"_You need not be a soprano to get your point across"_

_A smile touched her lips, sinking in with her reminiscence. _

"_**Ye think of him much, little one,"** said the voice with a hint of amusement._

_Sakura was shocked out of her silence, causing her to look above her, where the voice now seemed to be coming from._

"_Yes, yes, I do," replied the young woman, stunned._

"_**Then I asketh something to ye, good child"**_

"_Yes, anything"_

"_**In this world, there are precious things that men has lost to time, but these that know protect them, and these that believe in love, hold them dear. Tell me little one, do ye, ye who has lost your heart, believe?" **asked the voice._

"_I always have," Sakura replied, smiling softly again._

"_**Then it is time for your seal, my lady," **spoke the statue, marble cracking as it began to move. _

_Sakura looked on in awe as Arediau emerged from her marble cocoon, shaking the earth as she had spread her rainbow-colored wings before her, releasing the strangest green hue._

_And so the longing feeling came._

_She could almost feel his arms around her, pulling her into his usual backwards hug that he would often give. _

_She was saddened to know it wasn't real, but still savored her temporary bliss._

"_**Come child, ye must hasten thy possession, for there will be much pain," **warned the great phoenix._

"_How much?," the woman asked._

"_**Much"**_

_Then the giant bird and all it's colors became like liquid, quickly and steadily flowing into Sakura's belly at an alarming rate._

_Then came the pain._

_The searing inferno that began within her belly then worked itself to the rest of the body rapidly, leaving her screaming into the midday air to no one in particular. _

_Having fallen, she began writhing on the ground, still screaming. This had continued for hours upon hours, and days onto days, for she had lost count of the possible weeks passing._

_But she knew when the seal was complete, for the brand of the fire bird marred her navel._

_Arediau had begun to whisper instructions into her mind, telling her that "her time is now"._

"_Why?", Sakura thought back._

"_**Because he is here"**_

_The red-haired woman smiled warmly, understanding her instructions._

"_Then let us be in time"_

* * *

In Time

Chapter One: Back-Step

* * *

Cold.

Everything is so very cold in the Land of Snow; the snow falling on the ground, the stone walls of this cave (in spite of a well-fed fire) and anybody in it, so as far as anybody was concerned, it could not get worse than this.

The lack of supplies, having been far from home for countless months, fear of and death from hypothermia, the only medic that was assigned killed during the mission, the blizzard raging outside, and of course, the hard-core captain of ANBU squads.

They called him a man of no heart, _cold_ like it was outside in the snow, _cold _like the words thrown his way and back at them, _cold _like the atmosphere in this cave.

Imperturbable that he was, he never let the sneers or comments stick to him; just let them melt off like ice in the sun.

However, they never knew that he was a maelstrom inside, bearing over the actions he must take, emotions crashing and colliding behind the mask, seeming ever so straight-laced and unbreakable.

He had till the end of this mission to make up his mind; either he took the responsibility of the threat at hand, at his so-called _home_, and save his brother, or, _or_, he stands back and chances him dying by another's hand, leaving no escape for survival.

Most importantly, _how _was he going to explain his duty to his little brother? How would his brother take such news? How could he tell him that he must destroy everything the child knows?

"_He would try to convince you otherwise," _said a voice in the back of his mind.

His eyebrow twitched slightly, briefly betraying a hint of emotion.

Bundled tightly within the warmest cloak and blanket he could find, he settled down in the corner for much-needed rest, internal and external conflicts tiring him to the bone.

Truth be told, he almost did not want to come back, but he would have no choice but to.

He had to save Sasuke.

He awoke to a rather crude reel of shouting, stirring him from the depths of slumber that he so needed.

"Hey, Itachi! Get over here and look at this!" cried one of his teammates.

Itachi simply narrowed his eyes in the said teammate's direction, causing the man to shudder internally.

"I need rest, Kagi," Itachi protested firmly,

"Honestly, you need to see this!" urged Kagi.

Itachi's lip turned downward just slightly in annoyance, then rose from his corner, heading to where everyone else was standing, which just happened to be at the mouth of the cave, all the team staring into god-knows what, all in awe or great joy.

He glowered at them all as he passed, wondering what caused this malfunction in their training to show emotion like they are, till he reached the lip of the cave, where he was greeted by a great blinding light.

There was nothing there; just a great blinding light that seemed to entrance the group as they clamored about, save for Itachi. The captain peered about searching for signs of genjutsu, essentially finding none.

"_What_ are you looking at?" questioned Itachi sternly, wondering about the mental state of his team.

"Can't you see it?" whispered Kagi.

"It's home!" cried someone in the group.

"Maybe they developed that new transportation jutsu!" said another.

The excited gurgle of conversation had traveled among the men, giving the feel of an ocean current, rushing, rising, crashing and swirling around them in a roar of excitement.

"Nonsense, return and rest," Itachi commanded. "We will continue traveling at daybreak"

Itachi had done retreated back to his corner; his sleeping time wasted, as far as he was concerned.

"_Great, my teammates are going insane," _he thought ruefully.

He chalked it to being the snow playing tricks with their vision; making you see things like a genjutsu would, oh, like say, the very place one would rather be than in the middle of nowhere during a freezing snow storm, as he had told them. There was nothing but white to be seen, and everything looked so covered that even he with his Sharingan couldn't define landmarks from the ground.

He had seated himself on the floor again, and being that it was _very _cold, he cursed that he ever left it, closing his eyes to reclaim his dreams, or lack thereof.

"Hey, Itachi!" someone called.

"Yes?"

Silence.

"Hello?"

More silence.

"Huh," Itachi huffed.

"Come here a minute!" said the voice, repeating itself within echoes, sounding more and more feminine, such as a gypsy would laugh.

Of course, how could he have forgotten about the tricks the ANBU lady folk liked to play?

Itachi was about to tell Natsumi to return to her post as guard and _stop trying to play with him._

Wait.

There are no females in his group anymore; those that followed this trip had died during the mission.

Simply put, Natsumi _is_ dead.

"Come closer!" the voice whispered now, calling from somewhere he couldn't place.

He stood instantly, letting all loose cloth fall around him, looking for the intruder who was speaking, not finding the face to put to the voice.

"Out here!" beckoned the voice, sounding urgent now.

He glanced towards the opening, his team long since departed from the lip due to his insistence that "all is an delusion".

Quickly unsheathing his katana, he headed to what seemed to be the source of the voice, to the mouth of the cave, to the outside in the snow, towards the light that griped his teammates.

Then the voice spoke no more.

He decided to continue onward, into the storm, activating his Sharingan along the way.

He went on for quite some time, seeing nothing but white, white and more white. However, what had come with this lack of color was the cold, leaving him shivering and nose running.

"_Damn snow," _he mentally grumped.

"There you are!" voice once again, this time _much _closer than it should be.

He then made a quick turn, trying to catch this strange "voice" plaguing him and in doing so, he got the surprise of his life.

The "voice" sounded though it belonged to a middle-aged woman, had come from a small red-haired child, who had deep forest green eyes, bluish-white skin and wore a flimsy, trailing, black night-gown with an odd expression of worry and happiness plastered on her face.

He let his compassionate side slip, for he grabbed her by the wrist and started to lead her back to camp, and when she had faltered, he had asked, "Should I carry you?"

She looked up to him with a smile that could melt away the coldest of blizzards in their clouds. "I have been looking for you," she said.

He broke contact with her wrist, backing away quickly to the left, sizing her up all the while.

_Small, delicate, frail looking, frosted, innocent…_

However, she held enormous amounts of chakra, untold yet untrained, total and utterly capable of destruction, all beautiful and wise pulled behind a knowing smile, yet hidden under the youthful and innocent body of a child.

"Not everything is as it appears, is it, _child?" _Itachi said icily, cursing his weakness earlier.

Her smile never faded, if anything, it only broadened, approaching the young man with her hands in the air, palms facing him so that he could see that she was without weapons.

"I have no fear of you; you need none of me, Itachi," spoke the child softly. " I understand how trust is hard to come by in these times, but I am the only friend you have".

He simply stared at her, putting aside the feeling of the whirling blizzard raging under his own skin, hand gripping his katana firmly, preparing a quick, life-ending strike .

"You haven't the faintest clue, do you?" the child asked, having stopped a foot from the captain.

He than began to move, asking no more questions for its been made clear that she is a spy sent by the enemy, meant to infiltrate the village and send crippling data back.

He is as fast as the light itself, no one has ever caught him, he has also never faltered before, yet when she raised her hands higher, far above her head, performing a scooping motion as if she were trying to catch the storm, he had frozen on the spot.

Unable to move, Itachi could only watch in wonderment as she radiated a strange emerald-green chakra from all over her body, causing the body to twist into something less than human, still smiling every minute.

The chakra colored the snow around them, reveling stones of a buried temple from people who long since past, casting the effect as if in a snow globe just shaken, whirling, spinning, and _warm,_ for the love of the gods, it felt like _home._

Though her form was still changing, she could see his reminiscence, thinking back when times were pleasant and not filled with terrible hardships. She sighed ever-so quietly, just one last time before she gave completely, ripping the last shred of humanity away from herself, revealing what she truly is.

His own eyes had widened, facing the myth that haunted the lands of books; the great ten-tailed herself.

He suddenly shut his eyes, calling his bloodline trait to him, gathered himself into a stance with katana in both hands, not realizing that this was far from an allusion.

The mighty bird still had her wits about her, though feeling tinged with annoyance, the child that she shared the body with was mentally grinning at his sudden actions.

Yes, the girl knew him, and paid a dear price to get here, so Arediau is sure not to fail her.

The great beast performed an action that made the sound of clapping thunder, for that is all that was needed for the procedure to begin its course.

The land twist and gave way, a rift breaching around them, the fear he tried to hide failing to be concealed, only to be ripped from the ground by the breaking land, through the wormhole of time into the land he is yet to know.

She had followed him, leaving behind the snowy, frosty world filled with cold, death, silence and despair, to the the one in her time, where the Akatsuki ruled the Sound, the tailed beasts roamed free and the place of his foreboding legacy.

_And so we have begun time itself._

* * *

_RAA: I hope you enjoy my new version of an Itachi – Sakura story. I will appreciate reviews, even the flamers, so don't be afraid to type your thoughts. Until then, chow!_


	2. World Anew

"_Hell has no fury like a woman's scorn" – Shakespeare_

In Time

Chapter Two: World Anew

* * *

It was a beautiful day when she first departed exactly one year ago; she had left him behind to wallow in his sorrows and drown himself in his rain.

She wanted to be free to roam the land unhindered, just like the tailed beasts they tried to cage once, to view the clear sky and the endless sea of stars in the land of Moon, to see the rifting dunes of Suna or the tidal waves and whirlpools of Kiri.

She would even stand for the frosted world of Iwa, where the mountains ran high and the air became cold, and the snow would fall in the autumn like cherry blossoms petals would in Kohona's summer. That too, she would love to watch.

Therefore, she left _him_, and just him, behind. But she never _truly _left the Akatsuki itself, and cared much for the group her soul-sister once resided in, for she still has her ring nestled around her thumb.

She knew he still felt for her deeply; she just couldn't take more of her self-imposed depression that came with being his "angel", and his god complex became so over-bearing that she began to drown her own self in a deep pool of mental deceit.

She had since been constantly followed by the equivalent of a giant, hovering storm cloud; and _any_ man that dared come close was threatened by the sound of thunder. Those that did try to "pick her up" she never saw again.

She just figured they all got struck by lightning.

But for once, the sky had been blue, with the clouds white as cotton and as soft as a breath's whisper, yet the air suddenly turned gloomy when she received word of a matter that held great importance.

She knew he was still watching for her safety, but not hidden by a less-than happy opinion, she wished to see at least _one_ other sunny day in her life, another reason why she left him. She didn't want him haunting her every moment, so she confronted him physically.

Her adopted sister had requested via scroll that she come _all _the way to Kohona to receive and deliver a package; and she was not in the slightest bit persuaded when Nagato had pleaded – in his usual poker-face and monotone - that she not go. His reasoning was poor; she cared not if the woman had supposedly gone off her rocker, she was still one that saved them.

But problems had arisen here and there, sometimes causing an unwanted rift in the already unstable truce they had with the surrounding nations. Sakura is their liaison; a true angel of the Gods. She was always the one to keep the peace and restore balance to things, even made some of the chronically-insane members somewhat tolerable, and that had seemed to change when her reclusive behavior began.

Things just crumbled when she finally disappeared.

So she wound up walking to the hidden village with a rather nasty-looking cloud hanging over her head as a result of the quibble. Being clad in just black army boots, a decent pair of casual shorts with a slitted skirt and a choker halter of the same color, he must have figured that she had other "business" to attend to, not that it was any of his beeswax anyway.

Damn possessive ex-boyfriends.

Purposely trying to forget the ominous storm brewing above her, she began to hum an old lullaby that she didn't know the words to, just a simple tune that stuck itself in her head.

She reckoned that the roads would still be safe to travel on, despite the crack in which the national alliance has fallen.

Though the Akatsuki was no longer waging war against all the nations, the ground in which the Akatsuki ninjas could travel was still a shaky subject, due to the likes of the more destructive members.

Opening the option of a peaceful co-existence with all the nations, minus two, was one the greatest feats Itachi and Sakura performed during the final days of their partnership. The cease-fire was honored by both sides, then began the peace talks, and so on.

The decision they came to was the Akatsuki would be pardoned and treated as an ally nation; but in return, they had to help crush Orochimaru and the nation of Sound with him. Nagato, or Pein at the time, agreed under specific conditions to show good faith. Sure enough, other nations followed suite, everyone except Iwagakure, of course.

That didn't matter, either.

Deidara had returned there earlier within the year, only to blow the place and it's local authority to bits.

Annihilating Sound had its rewards; the Akatsuki was allowed to claim the land as their own, but Amegakure remained their base, turning Sound into a suitable trading establishment.

"_But Itachi was long lost before Sound became ours," _grimaced the blue-haired woman.

She had then realized that she had been so lost in her thoughts that she failed to see the great gates of Kohona before her, causing her to shuffle in her pack for her travel papers before the ninja guarding the wall caused her any trouble.

"You better not raise a fuss when I'm here," Konan said pointedly as she kept digging in her pouch, directing her voice towards the whirling black cloud in the sky above her.

It simply rumbled in response.

She looked down inside her bag, only to find nothing but the scroll, an emergency water-proof cloak just in case Nagato decided to be a "pain", some weapons, spare clothes and her new-found temper.

She knelt down beside a nearby tree with a grumpy sigh, well away from the wall to keep out of eyesight, reviewing the scroll Sakura had sent by a raven.

She knew that the lady had grown fond of the birds since traveling with Itachi, and her using them proved that he was still stuck in her mind, a year after his death.

She peeled it open for its directions:

_Wall: Three-quarters to southern point to avoid watch tower, back-up under ladder to avoid guards before proceeding. You may "flutter" as long as you're not recognized._

_House: First on the southern point, behind the cherry blossom plantation is an old clan house, doors are frosted glass, only one this side of village._

_Entrance: Old doors, locks can be wiggled, or busted down. If do, I require reimbursement._

_Package: Upstairs in second corridor; last room of the tapped terrace._

_Remember: Take whatever is beside package. _

_Exit: Up to you._

_PS: I thought you might need these just in case you forget your entrance passport._

Her lips twitched slightly. She had always loved her overly-dry humor and her intuition, all of which would make Kukuzu something like a proud parent.

She nearly missed the ending text:

_Don't let the Black Soul touch this one._

Konan furrowed her brows and pursed her lips slightly in question.

What could she possibly mean? Why was she using that old code-word for?

She shook her head lightly. That man has been long dead; she knew because she watched Sakura turn him into a human slurry. All of Kohona and the Akatsuki saw him be ripped and twisted into thousands of pieces in her rage, becoming a pool of blood on the same foundation where the great Hokage tower once stood.

Whatever it must be, it held great value to her to require an immediate retrieval.

Konan closed the scroll, readying her jutsu, turning into colored paper butterflies, floating and flitting themselves just over the lip of the wall. She saw the guards; they only thought spring came early. She smiled at this; it's nice to have someone enjoy her innocent display.

She then gathered her papered self under the ladder as written, admiring the girl for knowing how her village schedule.

All of her had let go of the wall by now; breezing past the old cherry blossom trees towards a house that resembled that of a castle. Konan wondered, for a fleeting second, how the medic could afford such luxurious accommodation.

Such the privileges of a former Sannin, one could guess.

The butterflies hovered around the house itself, searching for a more covert entrance.

"_Screw all the damn doors," _the papered woman thought triumphantly, as she had found a cracked window on the top floor in the backyard.

As soon as the first butterfly was in, Konan felt as though she'd been burned to a crisp.

The shock caused her to re-materialize in the backyard, crashing to a heap on the ground with a gentle paper-laden _crunch!. _"Ugh, seals..."

"_I think I now know why she told me to use the door..." _Konan thought, wincing.

The clouds in the sky paled considerably; she suspected Nagato went into conniptions.

Luckily, Sakura thought to put in a back door and abnormally high fences around her yard, so Konan decided to bless her over-protective soul.

She jimmied the lock, and truth be told, came open with a light shove. She sighed at herself, finding humor in her foolish attempt. She could almost hear her: _Follow the directions!_

With one last look to the heavens to show that she was well, she soon fled indoors to complete her mission.

She parted herself again; only to soar towards her destination faster with a sense of urgency and hurried curiosity, up the stairs and through the hallways, past photos of an old life now dead plastered upon the tapped terrace, only to stop in front of an odd red door decorated in swirling-black initials reading "MA-UH", and a strange silver knob with engravings that looked close to the marks of the Eternal Dragon.

"_What on earth?" _questioned Konan, who had turned the engraved knob till it opened to a small yet well-lit room that closely resembled a forest.

She quickly walked into the room, closing the door behind her along the way, noticing that the floors and walls were no kind of carpet or pelt, but a strange type of grass, and that all throughout the room were potted roses, every one being of a different color or breed regardless of their rarity.

The climbers groping their way up the walls onto the ceiling where they were clinging like ivy, some hanging down their feelers from the ceiling in search for ground, and actual bush-tree roses lining the room in a symmetrical pattern, for they all were centered around the only piece of furniture in the room: a tiny, hollowed-out tree stump that seemed to be a bed for something.

She had walk forward, eager to see what she had come all the way from Ame to receive.

She wasn't surprised when she saw it at first, for it was a simple, wrapped-up oblong bundle of cloth, as small as a scroll, with a blood-stained white ribbon draped over the edge of the semi-bed.

Her lips drew together in curiosity, wondering what could be inside, or even why an ancient ribbon was placed here, but she debated still whether to unwrap said item.

Then the bundle moved.

She held back no longer; she had already picked the bundle up, loosening the cloth in great hast to discover the source of the moment.

Her mind snapped at what she uncovered, finally understanding the severity of the situation.

Every word of caution and all the mysterious "insane talk" had spoken true, the code-words, the very fact of this object's existence was proof of a past thought dead _permanently_, yet is actually very much _alive._

She quivered slightly as shock began to flood in, rooting her to the spot in which she stood.

If only she was able to noticed the gentle clatter of glass hitting the kitchen floor downstairs, or the soft _click _of an opening door.

"She must have found Arediau, hmm? "

Konan looked sharply towards the voice, which came from a familiar face she had not expected to see.

"Deidara!"

Deidara smiled genuinely from the other side of the bed, leaning forward to take the bundle into his arms.

Konan quickly drew back, pulling it to her chest instinctively with the expression of suspicion and wonderment.

Deidara threw her a worried look and had started to slowly edge around the tree-bed towards her, narrowing his eyes as if she had just threatened his life. There was a good sign though; he did not have his clay pouches or any scrolls to be seen.

But then, speed was always his best weapon.

He had rushed forward in a blinding flash of yellow, coming so close to her face that she backed into the nearby rose bush, which was still tightly clutching the object to her chest, putting his face very close to hers, where she found that sapphire-blue eyes complimented blond hair nicely. He had put a finger to her lips, showing he had something to say.

"I received the same damn scroll, so don't get all pissy on me because I showed up, yeah," the blonde-haired artist whispered with great irritation, the vein in his forehead showing in great detail.

"Oh?" Konan challenged.

"Right here"

He had backed away a few feet and pointed towards his left bicep, obviously indicating the seal on his chest, the one that contained his fourth and final mouth.

Konan wrinkled her nose in disgust; Deidara rolled his eyes with an equal amount of his silent sarcasm.

"What was I supposed to do, hmm?" Deidara inquired roughly. "I don't have travel papers; I can't have weapons when I enter a border, hell, I can't even breathe in Fire country!"

He had put his hands on his hips by now, shaking his head and grumbling something else about what humidity does to his clay. She was no personal fan of humidity either, for it made paper, her jutsu, swell like little balloons.

She had decided to take this time to look the man up and down, seeing that he dressed in nothing but Iwa casuals with his hair tied back in a ponytail, the simple silver band that he wore on his ring finger sticking out like sore thumb against his slightly tanned skin. What was awkward is the small feathered earring he bore on his right lobe, made up of green glass beads and a single, red plume that showed intensely complex markings.

"Do you know what's in _this?"_ Konan inquired abruptly, finishing her make-shift profiling.

"Well, yeah!"

Konan loosened herself slightly; she did not understand why Sakura would trust him and not her in the first place with such a dire secret.

"How long have you known?" the suddenly-curious woman asked.

"Since she came to harbor it, I think, hmm..." he said thoughtfully, his voice softening when he leaned forward to peer into the cloth.

Konan felt a gentle smile touch her lips, finding herself a fool for fearing Deidara.

He may act like a jerk most of the time, but Itachi and Sakura both trusted in him because they knew the truth that is him, like the soft side he had for vulnerable objects or when he realized the absolute fragility of life.

This certain discovery of mortality made him somewhat light-hearted and peaceful, causing him to fall for a pretty barmaid that took care of him while he was wounded in the land of Wind, as he promised her every piece of his heart he could give, even throwing in the possibility of him giving up his "art", which surprised everyone. He was now married to his lovable Kyrie, who didn't give a flying rat about his "extra" mouths, and everyone knew that he wouldn't give her for the world.

Honestly, Konan had wondered how the woman put up with him now and then, but she supposed that being worshiped like a goddess had its perks.

Yes, with all the ironic power words could hold, one would find that Deidara is a rather sweet and devoted young man now, something Tobi certainly wasn't.

"Um, I think we'd best be going, yeah" said Deidara lowly, his expression suddenly turning cautious.

This snapped the blue-haired woman back to attention, causing her to peer out a window suspiciously. Through the impending gloom of the sky above, the sight she caught put her heart in her throat.

It looked as if all of Kohona's Anbu guard was posted just outside the front door.

"Aw, fuck..." Deidara cursed from across the room, peeking out from another window. "Sakura, your still a damn pain in the neck..."

"Can you make a distraction?" Konan asked suddenly as she began to re-wrap the bundle, putting the ribbon in the cloth as she did so.

"What else can I do these days, hmm?" Deidara replied hotly.

"Would you divert them away while we get behind the wall?"

Deidara's eyes flicked between her and the package, his temper instantly replaced by somberness.

"Fine. I'll see you on the other side, yeah?"

"Yes, over the wall".

"Konan"

Konan looked back at Deidara, who had a facial expression one could only describe as concern.

"Take care," the blond artist said softly as he opened the window, balancing himself on its ledge.

"I will," she replied sternly, turning towards the door.

At the next second, a chain of event had taken place; the sheets of rain that pelted towards the earth, the kissing of a wedding ring and a whispered apology, the explosions of Deidara's plant-based bombs following soon after, and the flurry of kunai that came screaming for his blood at every direction.

A shadowed figure ran with chakra-sticky feet up the wall to avoid the conflict, clutching her cloak and baggage to her with all that she was worth, praying that she would not be seen, and the crackling power of lightning from their hidden ally frightening all but Deidara, who readied his disappearing act.

The strange hole within the storm did not go unnoticed, and the shock of green light that flooded the sky from its opening blinded all but those who were already gone.

No one knew that a set of forbidden eyes had seen what others could not; searching, watching, and waiting patiently for years on end.

He had always been blind to the location of this prophecy; due to the like of seals and such he can no longer describe, but he could soon claim the final revelation of his legacy and fulfill his greatest desires of endless stamina, unmatchable strength, immortality, flawless beauty and most importantly of all: the ultimate power of the gods.

* * *

_This is the man whom I feared, the man I thought I loved who broke me and left me in tears._

_And this is the man I hated; I hated him for making his brother hate me so. Then this truth became distorted, twisted with knowledge newfound..._

_But this one; this one I never knew. He is the one that made them both who they are, and now I loathe him, only him... I hate him more than I hated everyone else..... _

_You... only you...._

"You..." she snarled, "You _bastard!" _

He just smirked at her, mocking her, no doubt.

He just dumped the truth, in its complexity, into her brain. He must have thought she was like a rat during a flood, drowning amongst the rushing current. He was _enjoying_ it, the over-confident prick.

Then again, he is what started the way of the Uchiha.

"Do you understand, little girl?"

Sakura spat at him from her place on the stone wall that held her, his obstructions the only thing that kept her hands from ripping his heart out.

Madara touched his cheek, where her attempt hit home. He threw her a disgusted look and back-handed her with enough force to propel her across a room, but she stayed put, due to the metal rods that he shoved through her bones, through her wrists, elbows, knees and ankles, all the way past the cobbled wall behind her, which was all that remained of the Hokage tower.

Her defiance equaled her punishment, her stigmata.

While she recovered from the blow, his demented smirk returned to his frighteningly handsome face, his long, black hair tattered from her jutsu, the mask long since shattered during their battle.

He began to trace his fingers along her jaw and eventually her collarbone; this action made her insides turn uncomfortably under her skin.

Her breathe was shaky, and she didn't know how much more she could take of the pain lancing all over her body. Her bones ached from the chill transmitted by the rods, simply moments closer to fainting, and had it not been for her medical knowledge, she would have been dead already.

She could get herself out of this situation, after she succeeded in stabbing him with his own weapon till he was indistinguishable from the stone. But she needed more answers, and Itachi could not be pardoned without them.

"You would have made a fine addition to the Uchiha bloodline, had you not affiliated with traitors, Sakura," said the twisted man, getting closer than her personal space allowed for any enemy, a new fear cycled through her, her nightmare coming closer to reality.

Her eyes started to widen as he inched ever closer, hovering before her face like an infatuated reaper, a purr evident below his normal tone, in a whisper that fell on her tender lips, "You still have chance to... redeem yourself..."

He suddenly leaned upward, grabbing her hair roughly and pulled her into a savage kiss, grounding his teeth in her lips to force them open. Her eyes became livid; she would not fall prey to him nor run from this, but she will _not _let him have his way.

She bit his tongue with as much strength she could muster, just as it came in contact with her own, causing him to quickly back away, holding his jaw in pain, with a strange calculating look that haunted his demonic eyes.

"I _will_ break you..."

She hissed at him like a feral cat, her pupils narrowing and feeling her moral chains getting a little looser. He grinned manically in response, his ruby eyes burning with a fire determined.

"So, my little medic how did Itachi do it, eh?" he asked, his tone smug. "How did he tame you?"

She growled behind clenched teeth; he leaned back on his heels in observation.

"You must have felt good if he kept coming back for more, yes?" he inquired, his trade-mark smirk donning his face, "I believe that I'll learn soon enough..."

Sakura glared at him with venom; he sighed in contentment, obviously pleased with his capture.

"Well, it is a shame I didn't ask about what I'd be inheriting," the Uchiha said in false sincerity turned unimaginably sinister, "especially since I got Sasuke to snuff him out for..."

She didn't let him finish. Sakura roared ferociously, powerful green chakra radiating from her wounds and pushing the rods out of the wall, her bones, then her flesh, healing along the way. She fell onto the ground feet-first, shaking with primal rage and a hate-filled heart, finally standing as the staunch defender of her nation, yet with nothing but revenge on her mind.

He did not see this coming. He froze on the spot, entranced by what was taking place before him.

Focusing the life force to her feet and her nails, she charged towards him, and he happened to be too close to dodge her organ-aimed attack, planting her clawing palm-thrust deep into his right cavity, holding tight so he couldn't warp.

"Yo...you..." he sputtered, blood choking his words down.

She felt his iron-grip clamp her arm, trying to remove her hand. Then she did something she thought she would never do. She used her other hand, and dug her nails till her fingers touched the tendon, then _ripped _it out_. _She also brought out her other hand, taking with it some ribs and various other living tissues, allowing him to fall on his knees. She had disabled him, his arms unusable without the muscle ligaments to operate them.

"You...Amaterasu... won't come...why?" was all he could manage.

She grabbed him by his hair, yanking his head back to bring them nose-to-nose. "YOU SHOULD HAVE NEVER, _EVER, TOUCHED ME!"_ she roared in his face, saliva splattering on his skin with every word, his face contorting into an expression indescribable.

His eyes wearily yet steadily followed her free hand, which she began to raise above them. In the distance, the sound of backup stirred in the land surrounding them, closing in quickly all around.

"Sound like I have to make this fast," she said with empty sympathy. "I believe you have something for me..."

And with that, she dug into his eye socket, one by one, his eyes became her own, but she didn't stop there. He began to scream, howling with every piece of flesh removed, snapping his bones as though they were twigs, blood flowing like a steam of nature, the woman taking him apart piece by piece without merciful painkillers to make an easier transition, everything but letting him die quick. She torn away his face, pluck out his ribs, pulling his muscles off strip then onto another strip, adding to the carnage around her feet by creating her own scene of horror.

When she was done, covered in blood head to toe, staining her medic's clothes a violent shade of maroon with a jar filled with gods-knows-what beside her, finally surrounded by Kohona Guard and the remainder of the Akatsuki, whom all were viewing the remnants that was Uchiha Madara.

Konan had already begun descending towards her, possibly with better news than what she was aware of. By her face, it was lost cause. All the pain, the enduring of torture from that demented man, the information to set Itachi free...

"_Promise me..."_

"Sakura... he tried to make it, he tried for you.... but... he couldn't hold on..."

"_Promise me you will stay alive, Sakura."_

Sakura fell to her knees in the remains of her one-man massacre and looked at Konan, who folded her hands and knelt beside her.

"What about Sasuke?" Sakura asked.

"He... knows now," replied the stoic woman.

"I take it you informed him"

Konan nodded slowly.

She probably could see the tears coming; she had a knack for those sorts of things, as she opened her arms and Sakura did not refuse the comfort offered, holding the woman tight against her as the pain came from her tear ducts.

"I will be here for you whether you think you need me or not... always"

Both woman trembled and fell back sideways on the ground, turning Konan into a bloody mess, but she didn't care anyway, just holding her in this time of need was more important than anything on this earth. Sakura noticed streams of mascara streaking down the woman's pale skin, finding Konan, of all people, crying with her. Perhaps they both lost someone this day.

"Sakura, look..."

And so she did. It was daylight that shone through the murky clouds, but something else had broken Pein's rain spell; a rainbow showing its vibrant colors. Sakura hoped, in his final moments, that he got to see such a beautiful sight.

"_I will, I promise"_

The light inside her dream darkened; leaving her to her thoughts.

_Why?_

_Why does everything always fall apart?_

A woman sniffled slightly from her internal drops of sorrow, curling into a fetal position inside the womb-like warmth pooling out and around her.

_Why do I always need protection?_

A simple, soft touch to her cheek, fingers trailing where her tears had long since drained away.

"_You were never the one protected, Sakura." _

An unseen smile graced the lips of a spirit; one could tell she was in complete bliss. That's all he wanted to ever give her; a serene life free of bloodshed.

"_You__ were my protector, as you are to her now."_

His invisible hand paused over her lips, where he brought his palm to the side and smoothed his thumb over the tender flesh repeatedly.

_Who... who are you?_

The woman suddenly grew restless; she stretched from her fetal form to writhe uncomfortably within the strange, infernal heat.

"_The one that loves, Sakura, no one else."_

There was no reply.

He then pursed his thin lips, ceasing his repetitive rubbing, sighing as heavily as an eidolon could. He laid his head upon her chest, searching for the heartbeat he longed to hear.

He smiled again, finding the sound that gave his soul some comfort.

"_I will never leave you, so long as you want me here."_

The red-haired woman trembled slightly in the mild chill, the warmth that harbored her inside itself now fading.

Sakura woke suddenly, sitting upwards quickly to search for the voice that haunted her for over a year, just as the nightmare still had. She had always figured he was still here, one form or another, looking after what he left behind, and therefore believed that he cared far more than he had ever let on.

He had surprised her numerous times on how romantic he could actually be.

He use to keep his distance; the automatic reaction to a new partner most likely, but he gradually came closer to her like a cat and a fishbowl, trying to see how far she could go before she would break.

Oh, the joys of reverse psychology.

She had looked around her, shaking herself of horrific and amusing memories alike.

She had been covered by a blanket, which now remained a twisted mass on the floor, and the walls along with the door were a bland color of mauve, an occasional hint of replaced drywall here and there.

She was laid out on a cot formerly equipped with wool knit throw and flannel sheets, now wisps of what it once was, and a currently-shredded feather pillow, with her original clothes having been changed for cleaner dressings.

"_Ooh,"_ she thought, wincing at the damage she caused in her sleep. _"I think I need to keep taking those sleeping pills..."_

Dreaming of nothing was the best thing on earth to her, for if she skipped one dose of her self-made medication, then _he _would come back again, reopening a wound that never completely healed.

She looked around again, the place feeling more and more familiar. _"Kirigakure?"_

Then the door cracked slightly, glancing out from behind it an old and wary eye in which Sakura met with an incredulous look.

It didn't take long for Sakura to realize who this person was, as the roaring laughter gave Kisame away rather instantly.

"You certainly haven't changed much, little blossom," chuckled Kisame, who walked completely into the room and sat beside her on the cot.

He looked around the room briefly, noting the torn pillow and ripped sheets; Sakura stared down at the floor, apparently embarrassed.

"So," Kisame said with a toothy grin," How did you sleep, pinky?"

Sakura simply grinned sarcastically, lightly smacking the shark-man upside the head, another amused chuckle erupting from him.

She looked at him again, realizing that she had never seen Kisame in a white yakuta before.

"About fucking time!"

Sakura gave a heavily disgusted sigh and an eye roll; Kisame glared at the doorway where Hidan stood.

"_Why _is he here?" Sakura inquired grumpily, eyes turning from the ceiling towards the hall, where Hidan stood defiantly.

"Please keep your damn trap shut, Hidan. I am asking you _nicely,"_ Kisame growled.

"I'll say what I want to fucking say!" Hidan snarled back.

"I wouldn't provoke anybody, now that you don't have your immortality" Sakura stated in an amused tone.

She worked with these people long enough to know how to defuse idiotic arguments, especially with Hidan, who now remained quiet, leaning on the frame and glaring.

Kisame simply closed his eyes, touching his lids with the tips of his fingers, taking a slow, deep breath in and out.

"What I am asking is if your_ alright_," Kisame pressed lightly, eyes still shut, "You had one hell of a tumble".

"Bullshit!" Hidan spat suddenly, causing Kisame to snatch himself from the make-shift bed to stand offensively in the priest's direction, and made Sakura clench her fist.

"She fell from the _sky, _for Jashin's sake!" The silver-haired man argued."Do you fucking _think_ she's going to be ok?!"

When he was finished, he and Sakura's favorite fish-man were locked in death glares, while she just folded up on her cot, tucking in her legs so her chin met her knees, throwing an innocent gaze at the two angry men. She was losing what she had left of her humor; she just wanted to get her thoughts across...

Neither noticed her eyes widening inhumanly, or that her bird-seal had begun to spread over her skin like a burning poison, just reaching the edge of her ribs.

"_**She is well, so youths need not worry for her".**_

Kisame turned to face the unfamiliar voice, while Hidan's face soften then paled more than one thought capable, becoming a statue in the room due to an unseen fear, spoke with the note of uncharacteristic trembling in his voice.

"Lady Arediau," he sputtered, while Kisame gave the look of question towards Hidan's direction.

"_**Tis time truth come; shall thy not falter in time, and ye need to know thy places in her mission," **_spoke Sakura's ashen lips, betraying a hint of illness.

"She needs her rest, regardless of _your_ needs," gritted the Jashinist.

Sakura, or now Arediau, casted him a gentle expression, looking something close to remorse or compassion.

The possessed woman put her feet on the floor, her shadow looming over two as she gracefully raised a hand towards them, which green chakra began to turn in her palm, forming a odd whirlpool of life energy before them.

Both men trembled where they stood; one needed not to know the phoenix's power to fear it. Once she had their undivided attention, she spoken with the strongest voice than even Sakura ever heard.

"_**Tis time ye listen..."**_

* * *

He looked onto their reflection upon the water within a blown-glass bowl; watching them flee from the great walls of Kohona, ANBU Guard on their tail and gaining. Perhaps he should have assisted instead of refusing to help his beloved in her quest.

This action will certainly pose a problem with the currently standing treaty.

Nagato sighed deeply, running his fingers through his hair, longing for the spiked style that his tresses rejected. Being alone is a feat he mastered long ago, but without _her, _he was beyond loneliness; he was in hell. He found himself longing for her touch once more; everything was cold and empty without it.

But he should have known; people do not take kindly to being chained, whether to a rightful cause or to unnecessary obligations.

Then he caught a flash of black across the water, a dark fire swiftly consuming the current opposing forces then moving along, leaving shreds of human remains on the ground soon after.

He focused on the liquid intensely, gripping the bowl till his knuckles turned piercing white, Rinnagan glaring onto the land before them, searching and analyzing the new enemy.

Eyes widened with absolute shock; teeth gritting at his mistakes, muttering foreign curses under his breath.

He threw the bowl to the floor with a violent _crash!,_ Snatching his cloak from the table where it once laid, bolting out the door without another thought towards Kohona.

They are in far more trouble than they can handle alone; as it is, all the Akatsuki couldn't stand against this man in battle. Only one person took this psycho down, and she was missing, presumed dead.

And if everyone couldn't defeat him before, who could?


End file.
